Napkin holder



Jan. 27, 1948. J. H. SOLOMON NAPKIN HOLDER Filed Jan. 9, 1946 J05EPH H SOLOMON Patented Jan. 27, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NAPKIN HOLDER Joseph H. Solomon, Columbia, Pa.

Application January 9, 1946, Serial No. 640,059

3 Claims.

This invention relates to holders for paper napkins and the like, such for example as shown in the patent of Lee Kingsley, No. 1,072,859,

Heretofore in the manufacture of paper nap holders it has been common practice to provide the container for holding the stack of napkins (usually individually foded and sometimes interlocked one with another) with an opening through which the napkins are withdrawn, and with a spring under compression for urging the stack toward the opening. While this type of holder has met with a favorable public reception, it is subject to the disadvantage that, as the supply of napkins becomes exhausted, the spring is expanded through a greater and greater distance and hence the force of the spring eventually becomes too weak to urge the final supply of napkins firmly against the opening in a manner such as to facilitate their withdrawal by the fingers through the opening. On the other hand, if a spring is employed sufficiently strong to overcome this difficulty, its initial thrust against the stack is so great as to press the napkins out through the opening. Hence the capacity of the holder is largely limited by the effectiveness of the spring which urges the stack against the withdrawal opening. 7

It is an important object of my invention to provide a napkin holder of the above character in which the pressure of the spring against the stack of napkins may be adjusted from time to time as the stack grows shorter to maintain the pressure against the stack approximately uniform throughout the entire period required for dispensing all the napkins from the holder.

Another object of my invention is to provide a napkin holder of the above character having a cover for an opening through which a stack of paper napkins may be inserted into the holder and latching means to subsequently maintain the cover locked against accidental movement.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a napkin holder which is of simple construction and effective in operation and including a window through which the contents of the holder may be viewed to determine when the supply of napkins should be replenished. In the preferred form of my invention I provide a pocket for receiving an advertising card at a conspicuous position upon the holder.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holder for paper napkins and the like;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the follower for supporting a stack of paper napkins and urging it toward the withdrawal opening provided in the cover of the container;

Figure 3 is a detail View of the mechanism for adjusting the height of the follower from time to time and looking it in its adjusted positions; and

Figure 4 is a detail view of the top of the holder showing the manner in which the cover is associated therewith.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing is shown a holder C for a stacked supply of paper napkins N, the holder being of rectangular cross-section corresponding generally to the size of a folded napkin. The holder may be made of metal, plastic or other suitable material and is provided in its rear face with a transparent window 2 for inspecting the condition of the supply of napkins within the container. Pocket-defining frames 3 for exhibiting advertising cards are provided on its two side and front faces, the cards being insertible and removable through open upper ends of the frames.

The top of the holder is closed by a removable cover 4 provided with an opening 4a through which the napkins are individually withdrawn. In order to facilitate such withdrawal, the stack of napkins is urged against the cover by spring pressure in order to cause the topmost napkin to bulge slightly outwardly of the opening and afford a convenient grasp for the fingers.

For this purpose there is located within the holder a wedge-shaped follower 5 having its sides sloped downwardly in opposite directions so as to define a roof-shaped support for a stack of napkins N (indicated in dotted line in Fig. 2). The follower is supported adjacent its ends upon leaf springs 6 made of spring metal and bent 1n zig-zag shape, and these springs are in turn secured to a plate 1 of a length corresponding approximately to but slightly less than the width of the holder.

A rod 8 is rotatably mounted upon the lower face of plate I and this rod projects outwardly from the holder through elongated longitudinally-extending slots 9 in the sides of'the holder, a knob [0 being secured upon one projecting end of the rod for rotating the rod with the fingers. Secured upon the rod a spaced distance apart is a pair of sprocket wheels ll, these sprocket wheels lying closely adjacent the inner faces of the opposite side walls of the holder. A

rack I2 is immovably afiixed to each sidewall adjacent the slot 9 so as to provide a non-slip trackway along which each of the sprocket wheels is adapted to travel when the shaft 8 is rotated to adjust the position of the plate 1 and follower upwardly or downwardly within the holder.

For locking the sprocket wheels against retrograde movement, a movable rack I3 is mounted upon the inner face of one of the side walls of the holder in opposed relation to one of the racks I2. The rack I3 is pivoted at its lower end upon a pin 14 secured to the wall of the holder and this rack normally extends parallel to the opposed.

immovable rack 12. A tension spring l5 extending between the upper ends of the two racks l2 and I3 serves to draw the movable rack into engagement with the companion sprocket whee1,-

thereby locking the sprocket wheel against reverse travel. A thumb piece Hi fastened to the movable rack l3 and projecting outside of the holder through a slot [1, provides means for rocking the rack 13 away from the sprocket wheel, against the action of the spring 15, to allow the knob ill to be rotated, thus adjusting the plate and follower upwardly so as to increase the pressure of the springs 6 against the stack of napkins as the supply of napkinsdiminishes.

The cover 4 having downwardly and outwardly inclined sides is associated with the top of the holder by sliding it transversely through a, slot la in one of the end Walls of the holder into engagement with a similar shaped recess I9 stamped in the opposite end wall. A strip of spring metal attached to the outer face of an end wall is bent so as to extend through a hole 2| in the end wall and is terminally formed with an upturned lip 22 adapted to normally engage a recess 23 in the cover. The spring strip is bowed outwardly exteriorly of the holder so that pressure upon the bowed portion flexes the strip in a direction such as to remove the lip 22 from within the recess 23. The spring strip 20 thus constitutes a latch for locking the cover in place but which is releasable for removal of the cover when the proper dispensing of the napkins. The frames conspicuously located on three sides of the holder provide means for displaying advertising matter to good advantage.

While I have described my invention in connecthe device is capable of use with similar other articles, such as paper towels, facial tissues and the like.

It will be apparent that various changes in con- 'tion with a holder for paper napkins, manifestly struction and design Of the napkin holder described above, which is to be regarded as exemplary rather than restrictive of the invention,

may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A holder for paper napkins and the like of the type comprising a container for a stack of folded napkins, a withdrawal opening in a wall of the container and means for urging said stack toward the withdrawal opening, said means comprising a follower located within the container, a spring for urging the follower into engagement with an end of the stack, a plate movably mounted within said container for supporting said spring, a pair of racks secured to the opposite walls of said container disposed approximately perpendicular to said withdrawal opening, sprockets rotatably mounted on said plate adapted to engage said racks, means for rotating said sprockets to cause them to travel along said racks and locking means for holding said plate in its various positions of adjustment along said racks. h 2; A holder for paper napkins and the like comprising a container for a stack of folded napkins, a lid closingthe top of said container, a .with- 'drawal opening in the lid for individually removing paper napkins from the container, a follower of substantially roof-shaped cross-section located within the container, a spring for urgin the ridged face of said follower into engagement with an end of the stack, a plate movably mounted within said container for supporting said spring, aslot provided in a side wall of said container and disposed approximately perpendicularly to said withdrawal spring, a rod rotatably secured to said plate and extending outwardly of the container through said slot, racks secured to the opposite side walls of said container and disposed approximately perpendicular to said withdrawal opening, one of said racks being located adjacent and parallel to said slot, sprockets fixed upon said rod adapted to engage said racks, a finger piece secured to the projecting end of said rod for rotating said rod to cause said sprockets to travel along said racks, a, lockin member normally engaging one of said sprockets and a finger piece for moving said locking member out of engagement with said sprocket.

3. A holder for paper napkins and the like as set forth in claim 2 in which the locking member comprises a locking rack pivoted at its lower end and located on the opposite side of one of said first-mentioned racks, a spring normally holding said locking rack in engagement with one of said sprockets and a finger piece for rocking said locking rack out of engagement with its sprocket.

JOSEPH H. SOLOMON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

